


Public Displays of Affection: for Dummies!

by SnorkleShit



Series: For Dummies! : Creepslayerz Verse [1]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Creepslayerz, First Kiss, Football, Getting Together, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Sharing Clothes, Steli, highschool tropes, jersey trope, jock/nerd dynamics, taylor swift might be playing in the background or something?, teen romance tropes, use of queer slurs in a derogatory manner at one point, varsity jacket trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 06:12:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13117719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnorkleShit/pseuds/SnorkleShit
Summary: When Steve stops caring about maintaining their cover, Eli thinks it couldn't get better than that. The universe, mysteriously full of teen romance movie tropes, thinks otherwise.





	Public Displays of Affection: for Dummies!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [akiridion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/akiridion/gifts).



THIS IS COMPLETELY INSPIRED BY [THIS](https://lyricora.tumblr.com/post/168795101637/1-fan?is_highlighted_post=1) ART 

\---------

Eli counted himself a pretty lucky guy these days. He had gone from being a loser that everyone either beat up or ignored, to a Creepslayer who was friends with the Trollhunter and knew a bunch of magical trolls. He spent so many of his nights now facing down magical problems with people he could finally call his _friends._ And best of all, his biggest tormentor had turned into what he considered his best friend. The way Steve talked to him now, the way he protected him, looked up to him for guidance... the way they fought together, laughed together...it made butterflies bloom in Eli’s stomach.

Unfortunately, he had a sinking feeling Steve still wouldn’t feel the same way. Sure, they might be the Creepslayerz, but he doubted Steve would call Eli his best friend. Steve already had friends before all this, Eli knew them all too well. And they still harassed him, even if Steve only ever did to keep their cover. Their cover. Did they really need to keep this cover up? Eli longed for a fantasy world, where Steve chose him over those meatheads, sat next to him every day, smiled at him when people where looking, maybe even held his hand….

Eli always pushed those thoughts away once they wandered too far. He should be grateful his life was going as well as it was, he should be grateful for having anything with Steve that needed hiding. If Steve needed to ignore him or occasionally push him away when they were around other people, then that was how it was. He didn’t care much for school anymore, anyways. His thoughts were consumed by the time they spent after school, with Jim, Claire, Toby and the Trolls. Arrrgh and Draal especially had scared Eli at first, but soon Eli realized they were both big softies. Bigger softies than Jim. He found Draal hilarious and loved how easy was it was to be around Arrrgh. He may be huge, but he acted like he couldn’t hurt a fly. Even though Eli knew he certainly could. Eli loved learning more about the magical world from Blinky, he reminded Eli of some of his favorite teachers throughout his life.

Sometimes, Eli could barely wrap his head around it. He, Elijah Pepperjack, was friends with magical creatures. And he spent his time fighting other magical creatures! It was times just like this one that his mind was consumed by the thought, as he moved towards the side of the cafeteria where Jim and Claire were. He stared down at his foam tray of mashed potatoes and gravy, lost in thought as his feet led the way. And that’s how they led him right into the path of none other than Jake, the dark-haired quarterback Steve hung out with. He always had a cruel look in his eyes. Steve had always been so angry all the time, back when they use to bully Eli together, but Jake had just looked cold. Like even Eli’s suffering was barely entertainment enough.

“Watch where you’re going, Pepperjack. You don’t wanna have an accident, do you?” Jake sneered, unmoving as Eli tried to shrink back. Before Eli could get far, Jake’s friend (who’s name Eli didn’t even know, the jerk) shoved him from behind, forcing him to stumble forward. Before he could fall onto Jake, Jake laughed and kicked up, sending the whole tray of food into Eli’s face. Eli cried out, trying not to slide in the gravy on the floor as he tried to wipe the mashed potatoes off his glasses so he could see. Ugh, this was going to take forever to clean! He was probably going to have to go home…

Normally, that probably would have been the extent of it, until later. This time, however, Jake seemed especially annoyed with Eli, and reached out to grab him by the arm. It wasn’t like Steve did it these days, in a guiding, protective way. It was harsh, like talons sinking into his flesh and bone, dragging him towards the large nearby trash can. Per usual, Eli’s fellow students at the nearby tables either laughed or looked away. Eli couldn’t really see properly, through glasses covered in mashed potatoes that were half knocked off, and he wasn’t almost glad for it. At least he didn’t have to watch everyone laugh at him. Were Jim and Toby laughing? Or just looking away? 

Before Eli could come up with some strategy to get away - he had been training, after all - another force intervened, stopping Jake short. Eli stumbled to a stop, still gripped on the arm by Jake, looking up to see a very angry Steve. Instinctively, Eli felt devastation crashing over him. Was Steve going to help them throw him in the trash? To keep their cover? Eli felt all the fight go out of him, going limp in Jake’s grip. The very idea of Steve humiliating him like that in front of everyone just for the sake of their cover made him feel defeated before he could even fight. 

“Let him go,” Steve demanded, hands balled into fists. The entire cafeteria was suddenly paying attention again, and Eli finally had time to turn and look for the others. His heart soared to see that Jim was already halfway across the cafeteria towards him, with Toby and Claire in tow. But they were stopped, frozen as well, watching the confrontation at hand. 

“What? Why would I do that? What’s gotten into you, Palchuk? You’re the one that used to love taking out this trash. You’ve been acting a little _queer_ lately.” Jake accused, using his free hand to stab Steve in the chest accusingly. The other guys chuckled at this, and Eli suddenly had the distinct impression they weren’t really Steve’s friends. Had they ever been? Where they even really friends with each other? Or where they just wolves who had promised not to bite each other in favor of the hunt? 

And what did that make Steve? 

“Shut up, Jake. Just back off before I make you.” Steve said, louder, stepping closer to Jake’s face before he reached over and grabbed the hand that was digging into Eli’s hand. Eli flinched as he felt the force with which he ripped it off, and dove out of the way just in time to watch Steve shove Jake down into the mess he’d made of Eli’s lunch with a _squelch._

Jake stared up at them, mouth agape in shocked rage, as Steve turned to an equally surprised Eli. Who was still soaked in gravy and covered in food. Steve wrinkled his nose at the sight and smell. He reached out, in front of a staring crowd of classmates and phones recording, and gently put a hand on a part of Eli’s waist that was untouched, leading him away from Jake.

“C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.” He said to Eli, as if this was normal. Eli could only look back and watch as Jake tried to get up to pursue them, only to be grabbed by the scruff of his shirt by none other than Coach Lawrence. Jake tried to protest as the Coach dragged him towards the office, and the crowd broke into a mixture of confusion and approval. 

Steve lead him to the closest boy’s bathroom, which was luckily empty. Eli grimaced as he peeled off his sticky, heavy t-shirt. He took one look at it, and knew he didn’t want to bother transporting it home. He sighed, throwing it in the garbage. Steve was still there, standing against one of the stalls. 

“What was that?” Eli asked, not looking at Steve as he started to get some paper towels wet to wipe the food remnants off his skin and out of his hair. He glanced up and looked at Steve in the mirror as he wiped the gravy and carrot slices from his face. 

“What do you mean? He was going to throw you in that trash can, and he had just watched a kid throw up in it, too. He’s an asshole.” Steve muttered, kicking the stall with the back of his shoe. 

“What happened to our cover? I thought…” Eli stopped, staring down at the running water instead of daring to try and look at Steve in the mirror again. He didn’t want to say what he thought Steve was going to do back there. He didn’t want to say how much it would have hurt him. More than it would have ever hurt him, not so long ago. Steve blinked.

“You thought I was going to throw you in there? That’s not what Creepslayerz do! I...I don’t care about our cover anymore, Pepperbuddy. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Steve said firmly, but his voice shook slightly. Eli’s chest expanded at Steve’s words, his heart especially warming at the nickname. Could it be true? He didn’t have to endure this cover anymore? 

Eli took off his glasses and looked over at Steve in person as he used a wet paper towel to wipe them off better. He smiled, wondering if this was too good to be true. 

“What do you care about?” He asked. Steve shrugged, reaching out a hand to flick a piece of lettuce from Eli’s hair. Then he glanced down at the smaller boy’s state of dress and smirked.

“Getting you decent, so you don’t have to walk all the way home shirtless. Here, I think i’ve got just the thing…” Steve said, holding up a hand. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” 

Eli watched Steve jog out of the bathroom, feeling like he was walking on air. The reality was starting to sink in, and the humiliation he’d felt when Jake had first started in on him was gone. Replaced by the memory of Steve defending him in front of everyone. The knowledge it was likely to happen again. He felt his toes curl in glee inside his shoes, and he shook his head, trying to ground himself. Just because Steve didn’t care about their cover anymore didn’t mean Steve thought of Eli as a friend. 

Steve soon returned, and in his hand was his football jersey. He must have run all the way to the locker room to get it. Eli’s eyes widened as Steve held it out to him, the butterflies making their voices heard from deep within him. Steve looked nervous, as he held it out, and his face was burning red. But that was just because he’d been running, right?  


“It’s a little big, but…” Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck as Eli took the jersey and ran his slightly damp fingers over the numbers. He frowned up at Steve, confused.

“Don’t you need this for the game on Friday?” Eli asked. “I could get it back to you tomorrow before -” 

“Don’t worry about it. You can give it back to me at the game. Or, well - I was going to ask if you wanted to come. I mean go! If you wanted to go. With me, to the game. To watch me play it, you know? If you want.” Steve was stammering as he watched Eli pull the too-large top over his head, every word more flustered than the last. When Eli finally popped his head out of the hole on top, the jersey reached all the way down to his knees. He gave Steve two thumbs up.

“I’d love to go with you, I love football! With all the goals and stuff!” Eli agreed quickly, despite the fact that he hated sports, people who played sports, and had absolutely no idea how football even worked. But Steve wanted him there, so he’d go. 

“Awesome! I’ll make sure you get a good seat!” Steve said, his shoulders dropping as if he was letting the tension out of them. 

“I look ridiculous, don’t I?” Eli asked, turning to look in the mirror at how oversized the jersey was on him. Steve was grinning from ear to ear, and he reached over to wrap his arm around Eli’s neck, giving his shoulders a squeeze through the jersey as he looked at them in the mirror together. Eli suddenly remembered that first Creepslaying night, when Steve had put him in front of the mirror and called him _cool_. 

“You look great. C’mon, we gotta get to class.” Steve assured him, giving him a playful shove as he turned towards the door. Eli followed, face beaming, shoving his newly cleaned glasses back onto his face as he hurried to follow the taller boy. 

When they go to their next class, history with their new teacher Mrs. Noelle (Eli still couldn’t believe Mr. Strickler had really been a changeling) the entire class was pretty blatant about noticing Eli’s choice of attire. Their eyes followed him, Steve, and the oversized jersey as they took two seats in the back corner. Steve took the one right next to him, and Eli found himself wondering if his face was as red as the jersey. 

\---------

When Eli got home, he found himself almost reluctant to take off the jersey. He knew it probably wasn’t a big deal to Steve, but wearing it made all sorts of bubbly, confusing emotions swell in Eli. He looked in his mirror and traced the numbers on the front of it, and went from giddy pride to sudden despair. He didn’t know _anything_ about football! He’d never even been to a soccer game! Weren’t they, like, the same or something? Like softball and baseball?

Eli swung around, looking around his room in a panic. What could he do? Steve’s game was tomorrow! What if he cheered at the wrong moments and everyone looked at him like an idiot? What if Steve tried to talk to him afterward, ask what he thought, and he didn’t have anything to say? All the possibilities for how this could go wrong and put him in the embarrassing limelight spiraled in Eli’s mind, branching off in all directions until they were all that he could see. He groaned loudly, before diving towards his laptop. He scrambled onto his bed, opening the laptop and rapidly typing “FOOTBALL FOR DUMMIES" into the search bar. 

“Eli? I’m going to the store! Do you want anything?” His mom called from downstairs. Eli looked at the door, where her voice resonated from, his mind imagining her standing by the stairs and calling up like she always did. He pondered her question momentarily, before coming to a clear decision.

“Can you get me a Monster, please, mom?” He called down, in the sweetest voice he could muster, knowing she wouldn’t approve.

“You know those aren’t good for you, Eli!” His mom replied, her voice even louder than before, in its effort to scold him. He rolled his eyes.

“I’m pulling an all-nighter, mom! I have a project for, uh, school!” He reasoned, waiting for her response with a mix of hope and apprehension at the lie.

“Oh, alright! I’ll get you a green one, be back in an hour!” She caved, the sound of the door shutting and locking echoing up after her. He pumped his fist in victory, and then returned to his research. He could learn enough tonight, and then tomorrow he’d get another drink on the way to school, make sure he was wired enough to cheer in the first place. Especially after everything that happened today, Steve probably didn’t want to be alone at the game with those jerks. He’d asked _Eli_ to come. And Eli wasn’t going to half-ass it, he was a Creepslayer, after all. 

\---------

The next day at school, after drinking not two but three Monsters, Eli continued his research. He felt much more confident now, and he was only neglecting his work to look into the finer details. The more Eli found he understood the mechanics of sports, the more he found he actually enjoyed watching clips of games. Who knew? 

If the teachers noticed him using his laptop for anything other than work, they seemed content not to mention it unless it was while they were talking. He’d already finished his work for the next week anyway. Doing all his work in advance made it easier to train with Steve and Jim and the others, without having to worry. In fact, Eli was starting to get so annoyed by everyone else’s struggles to balance their schoolwork, he was considering offering to do some of it for them. His history of being forced to do people’s work kept him from actually offering, though. Did he really want to invite people to treat him that way right when they had finally stopped? Still, it would be so much easier to get on with the trollhunting business if Jim wasn’t the worst essay writer on the planet…at least Claire seemed to have her daily work and secret work under control. Almost too well, maybe? She seemed to know more about the magical underworld than Jim himself did. Maybe the Amulet chose Jim because of her. Or maybe, because of them? Jim had mentioned something about that, but it was all still too much for Eli to truly grasp. 

With thoughts about magic and football circled through his brain, and his head buried in his screen all day, he felt like the entire school day had gone by in a breeze. At least ignoring school meant ignoring all the strange looks he was getting for wearing Steve’s jersey again today, over a long sleeved shirt. Eli justified it to himself that it was easy to wear it over his clothes up until Steve needed it, instead of carrying it around in his bag. Because that _totally_ made sense, and wasn’t gay at all.

Once the final bell rang, Eli shoved what he didn’t need into his locker, and hurried to find Steve. It was a few hours to the game, but Steve would probably need his jersey on long before then. Besides, who else was he to hang out with up until then? Going home and coming back would be a hassle.

“Where are you running to, Eli?” Toby called, as he rushed past him and Claire on their way to meet up with Jim.

“Gotta find Steve, I’m going to the game tonight! Call us if you need anything!” Eli said, slowing momentarily to address them. Toby and Claire looked at him with curiosity, murmuring to each other when he turned away.

He turned the corner and nearly ran right into Steve’s chest. Steve put out two hands to grab his shoulders and steady him, and Eli nervously smiled up at him, pushing his glasses back up from where they’d slid. Steve smiled down at him warmly, hands still on his shoulders. In the middle of the packed hallway. Eli wasn’t sure he was ever going to get used to _this_.

“Slow down there, buddy! The games not for three hours!” Steve laughed, finally letting go of him. 

“I know, I’m just excited! I stayed up all night getting to know football better. Not that I, uh, didn’t know anything to start, I love football, just wanted a refresher, you know? But I’m not tired! I’m the opposite of tired, I’m wired! Although, I didn’t drink any Wired. I drank Monsters. Are Monsters worse than Wireds?” Eli didn’t realize he was talking as fast as he was until Steve’s wide eyes crinkled in mirth again, and he was slinging an arm around his shoulders. 

“Try not to overdose on caffeine for me, I’d hate to see you have a heart attack in my clothes. That would take all the fun out of it!” Steve laughed, as they started to stroll down the hall together, in their casual embrace. Just like when they’d left the school after Saturday detention, but this time, _everyone_ could see. Eli was so flustered by the public displays of affection, it took him a few moments to process exactly what Steve had said. And even then, he had no idea what to think of it.

\-------

The air was frigid and nipped at Eli’s nose and fingers by the time the game was over, making his glasses fog up every time he jumped to cheer for Steve, who was just as good at football as he was at Creepslaying. Eli wondered if Steve would like it if he told him as much. He was almost out of breath and his body ached as if he’d been training by halftime, he had jumped up and down and cheered as loudly as he could for Steve. There was something so...exhilarating about watching Steve rush around the field like an unstoppable force, wearing that jersey that he’d so nervously handed to Eli. The same jersey he’d said was fun to see Eli wearing. Cause, yeah, Eli had been thinking about that in the back of his mind the entire time as well. 

When it was over (Arcadia having won, which Eli was actually proud of for the first time) Eli jumped through the bleachers two at a time, dodging slower people so he could reach the exit fast, heading towards Steve, who had already split away from the rest of the group. The coach watched Steve go towards Eli as the other players filed on their way to the locker rooms, an amused expression on his features. 

“That was awesome! You were amazing, just like a Creepslayer should be!” Eli exclaimed, practically bouncing through the air on his way to meet Steve on the sidelines, reaching out a hand to fistbump him. Steve laughed, taking his helmet off and shaking his hair a bit as he reached to carry out their little handshake after the fist bump. Steve’s face was red and sweaty, but his eyes were bright. 

“I heard you from the stands, _you_ where the awesome one. I’m pretty sure the aliens could hear you. You out-cheered everyone there!” Steve said breathlessly, as they turned so Eli could walk him to the locker room. Eli shrugged in slight embarrassment. Maybe he’d been a little too enthusiastic? Steve must have seen him look away because his steps faltered slightly. The sounds of the crowd chattering died away as Steve stopped him at the entrance to the concrete tunnel, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that! I loved it, really. Nobody’s ever cheered for me like that. My parents stopped coming to my games a long time ago. It means a lot to me. One Creepslayer to another.” Steve said sincerely, more sincerely than he said most things. The same tone he’d used to promise Eli he wouldn’t call him Leslie, if not softer. Steve’s hand dropped away from his shoulder, and he missed it instantly. Eli smiled up at him, endeared by the words. Like everything else wasn’t there anymore, and there was just Steve, looking at him like he’d gotten him a puppy for Christmas. Was this even real?

“I’m glad. I’ll come whenever you want me to.” Eli replied just as sincerely, a little surprised at how much he meant the words. He swallowed nervously, hoping Steve wouldn’t read too much into them and ruin everything. Steve nodded, and then glanced down the slope of the tunnel.

“You should probably wait for me here. My Vespa’s in the shop after that gnome smuggling operation, so I figured I’d walk you home. I’ll be back!” Steve said, leaving Eli by the square of twilight to hurry to the locker room. And he was indeed back, in record time, halfway through pulling his varsity jacket on over a rumpled t-shirt as he ran back towards a waiting Eli. 

The walk to Eli’s was a few blocks, with the walk to Steve’s even farther, but they needed the cardio anyways, Steve reasoned. Eli agreed, if only to save himself from blurting out ‘i’d spend hours walking if it’s with you,’ or something equally gay and cheesy. Really, he needed to get a handle on this. 

They talked mostly about Arcadia, about the things they knew now, and the things they were only starting to know. Steve admitted he’d never believed in aliens before, but now that his eyes were opened, he was more into sci-fi than ever. He blamed it on Eli’s influence, but in a tone that said he was more than happy about it, and Eli had to stop himself from actually starting to skip down the street. His mind started to imagine them hanging out late at night, watching movies and tv and eating popcorn, maybe their hands brushing in the bowl… _gosh, how cliche can you be, Eli?_

It all seemed too perfect at first, the light bleeding out of the sky and the streetlamps coming on one by one as they walked under them. So of course, something had to come along and ruin it. That thing was called _temperature_ , and Eli wondered if it was justified to call the weather homophobic at times like this. 

After the first few minutes of Eli plunging his hands into his pockets and scrunching his shoulders to try and warm up his ears, Steve seemed to notice his tiny frame shaking. 

“Are you cold?” Steve asked, interrupting himself while talking about something that Coach Lawrence had done. He halted completely, and Eli did the same, reaching to rub his arms with his hands to warm them up.

“Yeah, I guess that all-nighter messed up my foresight…we’re halfway there anyway, I’ll be f-fine.” Eli shrugged. Almost as if on cue, his teeth started to chatter, before he could properly finish his sentence. As if to negate the effect of his words entirely by design. And as if by design, Steve was already shrugging off his clunky red and white varsity jacket. Eli felt his face flush, and it wasn’t because of the cold. This was the oldest romantic high school trope in the book, but surely it couldn’t be, Eli was just cold and Steve only had one jacket on. It didn’t mean anything, it didn’t mean anything, it didn’t mean anything…

“Here you go, Pepperbuddy! No offense, but I’ve got more meat on my bones than you. You’re shaking like a leaf.” Steve said, completely spiking Eli’s likelihood to have a stroke right there by reaching out and using both hands to wrap the varsity jacket around Eli’s shoulders, his hands brushing over the tops of Eli’s when Eli reached to take hold of it. Eli’s heart fluttered in all sorts of strange ways, and he kept his eyes on street beneath their shoes as he thanked Steve in the most straight way he could possibly muster.

The rest of the walk to his house was somewhat quieter, as it got darker and people’s lights started to turn off as they walked past. By the time his house was within site, a single breath rolled an entire cloud of mist into the air in front of them. Eli was reminded of when he was younger, and he’d been all alone every walk home from school. He used to pretend he was some sort of ice dragon and would make big poofs to entertain himself.

“Thanks for walking me all the way home, I know the turn towards your house was a few streets back,” Eli said, voice cracking slightly, which he mentally blamed on the cold to spare himself further internal scolding. Steve nodded, his hands in his back pockets to keep them warm. The way it made his chest puff out did something to Eli he’d rather not name.

“No problem, it’s what Creepslayerz do, remember? Thank you for coming to the game. And keep the jacket. I’d let you keep the jersey, but, I do need it for games…” Steve said, shrugging as if it was somehow an inconvenience to him. Eli’s heart started to pound, and he hoped Steve couldn’t hear how loud it felt. 

“T-thank you. See you tomorrow!” Eli replied. Steve nodded, turning away to head back down the street. Eli stayed frozen to the spot outside his house, pulling Steve’s jacket closer to him as he processed things. When Steve was only a few steps away, he suddenly started, calling out to him.

“Hey, Steve? Does...does this mean we’re friends, now?” Eli called, voice strung with nervousness like a house covered in fairy lights. Steve turned around, staring at him as if he’d said something absurd. Eli instantly recoiled from the look, regretting what he’d said. Had he just ruined everything? Steve’s face relaxed as he watched Eli recoil, and he hurried back, striding towards him quickly but without malice. Eli knew it might be a good idea to go and meet him halfway, but he couldn’t get his feet to make a move, so Steve had to close the distance between them all by himself. 

“Of course we’re friends now, Pepperjack! You’re a better friend to me than any of those assholes ever was. It’s Jim and the others that I’m not so sure like me yet. You’re the one who shouldn’t want to be _my_ friend, remember?” Steve said with a huff. Eli’s chest swelled, and his regret melted away. Was it just him, or did Steve’s jacket suddenly seem even _warmer_? But the fact that he’d been so frozen in the first place made a question burst forth from his tongue.

“Then why the weird look? You looked at me like I just grew a second head for asking.” Eli asked, shrugging his shoulders as if to indicate the jacket he had been inquiring about. Steve chuckled, looking at the jacket and then looking at Eli, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked like he was being forced to attend a spelling bee. 

“Well, that was because I, uh, I gave you the jersey and the jacket because I wanted to be _more_ than friends, buttsnack...the whole point was I didn’t have to say anything, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag...” Steve wasn’t looking at him as he confessed the obvious truth, still looking to the side as if to avoid the actual repercussions of his world. It was so strange to see Steve...downright _bashful_. Eli wrapped his head around what the jock was saying, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. 

This was _way_ crazier and more out of this world than any Troll kingdom or alien spaceship. This was, quite literally, a dream come true. Maybe Eli should have been paying more attention to social cues, and less attention to football plays. Oh well, he could make up for it by being the one to initiate their first kiss, since Steve clearly felt too put under a lamp to try it. 

Before Steve could stumble through any more stupid things to say to fill the silence, Eli pushed himself up onto his tiptoes, pushing his arms through the sleeves just in time to grab Steve’s shoulders and pull the other boy towards him a little, so he’d know what was up and make a decision. A decision Steve made very quickly, dropping what he was about to say completely to lean into Eli and meet him halfway, their lips chapped and cold when they met. But it was still just as magical as Eli had dared to imagine. Especially when Steve’s arms wrapped around his ribcage and picked him up a little, so he wouldn’t have to wobble on his tiptoes. 

When they were done and Steve gently set him back down, he was slow to remove his arms, and even slower to step out of Eli’s personal space.

“So, I’m assuming that’s a yes to being my boyfriend? As well as my partner?” Steve asked, looking more than a little flustered himself this time. Eli nodded with a grin, unable to process a vocal response at the moment. Steve smiled in relief and then bade him goodbye with their signature handshake, followed by a peck on the lips. As Eli turned to watch Steve walk away this time, he had a feeling he was going to get used to that. And he couldn’t be happier. Talk about blowing their cover.


End file.
